


The Emo Nightmare and the Nerd

by TsundereKatTheKrazy23



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Help, High School AU, Human AU, I have regrets already, I need me some more Analogical fanfics, I wrote this because I was like, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oh yeah Deceit doesn't suck so yeah, Slow Burn, also theres going to be no smut because I can't write that yeET-, probably, so i wrote one, well he doesn't suck that much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2019-06-06 18:33:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15200870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsundereKatTheKrazy23/pseuds/TsundereKatTheKrazy23
Summary: Emo Nightmare Virgil just happens to catch the attention of Logan, one of the smartest students in the school. Cue mutual pining.





	1. The Nerd meets the Emo

**Author's Note:**

> Yo I literally wrote this because I need Analogical in my life and there isn't enough fics for the ship. None of the locations in this fic are real (and the laws are based off the ones in New Zealand bc that's where I live).

Logan had a daily routine when it came to school. He’d go to his first class early and go to the rest of his classes until lunch hour started, where he would spend his lunch hour in the school library. Then he would go to the rest of his classes, and once school was done, he’d go to the town library to study or just read, and then go home. It was the same every day. Sometimes his lunch hour would be different, and he’d hang out with his friends Patton and Roman instead (usually this was on Wednesdays, but Roman was unpredictable).

That’s just how it was for Logan. A lot of people at his school thought it was weird, but thinking Logan was weird wasn’t abnormal either. Did Logan care? No, not usually. At least, if he did care, he didn’t make a show of it. 

Usually, when Logan went to the school library during the breaks, it was mostly quiet. Of course, there were people who came to the library to study and read, like him. Some, however, didn’t think the ‘be quiet in the library’ rule applied to them. Thankfully, those people were usually kicked out. Even when those kinds of people were in the library, Logan didn’t typically notice them unless they were really bad. He usually went to his corner, where he had basically claimed a table and stayed there. Sometimes he played music from his phone, sometimes he didn’t. It depended on his mood.

Other than Patton, Roman and sometimes Patton’s brother, Damian and Roman’s friend, Remy, people didn’t usually talk to Logan outside of class. Sure, there were some people who tried to talk to him during class, but Logan found it difficult to hold relationships with anyone, so he usually pushed them away. He didn’t want to be friendless, but he couldn’t help it.

One day, Logan had just finished his English class and was about to leave for the library so he could read during his lunch hour. His plans were changed when he got a message from Roman.

Roman:  
Patt, Remy and I r hanging out and Patt wants you to join. We’re outside. u know where.  
12:16 PM

Logan:  
I’ll be there in a bit  
12:16 PM

Roman:  
Don’t just stay in the library again u nerd  
12:17 PM

Roman:  
B here in 20 mins  
12:18 PM

Logan didn’t reply, and just slipped his phone into his pocket instead. That wouldn’t change his plan too bad. He’d still have time to get a book out and read for a bit. He went into the mostly empty library - like how it usually was on Tuesdays and greeted the librarian.

“Hi, Logan,” The short librarian girl replied. She was one of the few acquaintances Logan had that weren’t from his classes. The student librarian monitored the library during the breaks while the proper librarian went to the staff room, so naturally she saw Logan around quite a lot. Her name was Dot, as he learned after the first few days of taking the job as the librarian.

Logan found himself a book by one of his favourite authors and went to “his” table in the corner when he stopped. Someone else was sitting there. Of course, Logan didn’t own the spot, he was mostly surprised that there was actually someone in the library on a Tuesday. It didn’t really matter, there were multiple seats at that table, so nothing really changed. Logan sat down, startling the boy, who was listening to music so loud that when he took out one of his earbuds, Logan could still hear the music that was playing. He recognized the music from his tragic, wannabe edgy phase back in middle school.

The boy had messy, purple hair that hung in front of his brown, almost grey eyes. He looked like he didn’t go outside much or got much sleep, with his pale skin and dark shadows under his eyes. It almost looked like he was trying to sink away into his black hoodie. Even though Logan couldn’t see very much of them, he could tell that those eyes were stunning. Actually, Logan thought he may have recognized him from one of his classes.

Logan didn’t really care that the boy was sitting there. He was just going to read for a bit, get the book out and then go to meet Roman and Patton. But the boy seemed to feel otherwise, and kept shifting in his seat, like he was uncomfortable with him being there. Still, Logan opened his book and started reading. If the boy did the same, he’d probably forget Logan was even there, and wouldn’t even notice him leaving.

That wasn’t the boy’s plan, however. Instead, he spoke.

“Um… hi…?” He said, barely loud enough for Logan to hear him. Maybe that was the point, as when Logan looked up from his book, he looked like he really wanted to disappear into his hoodie again.  
“Greetings,” Logan said. For a second, the boy looked like he was about to smile at Logan’s formality. He didn’t, though.  
“Do you… do you want me to leave?” He asked. Logan shook his head.  
“No, I have to be somewhere soon anyway,” Logan said, pushing up his glasses.  
“Oh,” He muttered. “I’m Virgil, by the way.”  
“Nice to meet you, Virgil. I’m Logan,” Logan replied. Virgil gave a small smile.  
“Yeah, I know. I’ve seen you in some of my classes,” Virgil said.  
“I thought I’d seen you around before. Well, it’s nice to actually talk to you,” Logan said.  
“Do you normally talk like that?” He said, almost chuckling. Logan didn’t understand what he meant by that.  
“Like what?” Logan asked. Virgil shook his head.  
“Nevermind,” Virgil said. Great, now Logan was left to wonder what he meant. He could question it further, but it really didn’t matter that much to him, and he didn’t want Virgil to get that impression.  
“So,” Logan said, deciding it would be appropriate to start conversation. “Do you come to the library often?”  
“Sometimes,” Virgil shrugged. “I just needed somewhere quiet to be. The library seemed about right for that.”  
“It’s not always like this,” Logan said with a small laugh. When Virgil gave him a confused look, Logan added, “I come here almost everyday, and for some reason, a certain group of people seem to think the rules don’t apply to them.”  
“Oh, that must suck.”  
“It does.”

Virgil had become a lot more relaxed as the conversation continued, adding sarcastic comments and making jokes every so often. Even Logan, who was known for not being one to open up to people, laughed a little when Virgil made a joke. He was actually sort of disappointed when he looked down at his watch and saw that it was about time for him to leave. Logan closed his book and stood up.

“I should be going now. See you around, Virgil,” Logan said.  
“Oh, okay then. See ya, Logan,” Virgil said with a wave. Logan waved back as the other boy put his earbud back in.

Logan approached Dot again, so he could get his book checked out. Dot looked up from her own book and brushed a strand of her wavy black hair behind her ear. Logan handed the book to her, as she typed his name into the computer. She kept glancing up at Logan, which bugged him.  
“Is something wrong?” Logan asked. He somehow managed to not sound accusatory, which was good.  
“Oh, nothing,” Dot said, reaching for the book scanner. “I’ve just never heard you be so talkative before. You and… what’s his name?”  
“Virgil.”  
“Right, Virgil. He’s an interesting looking one, isn’t he?” Dot asked as she scanned the barcode on the back of the book. Logan didn’t answer her question out loud, and instead answered in his head (the answer was yes, definitely). “You’re good to go, see you, Logan,” She said, handing the book back to him.  
“Thanks. Bye, Dot,” Logan said. The short girl gave him a smile before going back to her own book. Just as he left the library, his phone went of again.

Roman:  
Logan istg  
12:22 PM

Logan:  
Give me a break! It hasn’t even been 20 mins yet  
12:22 PM

Roman:  
You’re keeping Patton waiting. Just know that  
12:22 PM

Logan:  
You don’t have to guilt trip me. I’m coming now.  
12:23 PM

Logan:  
It’s not my fault books are more interesting than you  
12:23 PM

Roman:  
Gasp! How dare. I’m telling Patt!  
12:24 PM

~~~~~~

Roman:  
Logaaaaaaan  
3:11 PM

Logan:  
What??  
3:11 PM

Roman:  
Patton wants to chat after school. @ the coffee shop near school.  
3:12 PM

Logan:  
You really want to take away my library time today, don’t you?  
3:13 PM

Roman:  
Would you disappoint Patt?  
3:13 PM

Logan:  
...I’ll be there  
3:14 PM

Roman:  
Note 2 self: Logan will do what you say as long as Patton wants him to do it 2  
3:14 PM

Logan:  
Would you say no to Patton though?  
3:15 PM

Roman:  
No one says no to Patton  
3:15 PM

~~~~~~

Logan, like he had promised, went to the coffee shop after quickly taking a stop at his house. The coffee shop was a regular hangout for Patton, Roman and Logan. Sometimes Remy and Damian also joined them, but it was usually just the three of them. Usually they made it so that everyone got a moment of free time at their homes before hanging out. But that was not the case this time.

He went inside and immediately spotted his friends at their usual table. Patton had his phone out and was texting every so often, and Roman was talking him. It was hard to miss them, especially Patton with his pastel clothing, abundance of freckles and his curly brown hair. Roman was easier to find because of his… personality. He was flamboyant, loud and so extra that you’d have to be actively trying to lose him in a crowd.

Logan sat down with his friends. Patton looked up from his phone to give Logan an excited wave before pushing his glasses back up and going back to texting.  
“Logan! You’ve finally arrived,” Roman said, flicking his wavy hair out of his hazel eyes. It was easiest to see Roman’s eyes because he was the only one of the three to not have glasses.  
“Greetings, Roman. Hey, Patton,” Logan said, using a more casual tone with Patton.  
“Hey, Logan! Sorry, I’m just chatting with my new friend. He’s on his way,” Patton said. Logan glanced at Roman with a confused look. Roman just shrugged. “Did Roman not tell you I was bringing my new friend?”  
“I must’ve forgotten to mention that! My mistake,” Roman said, playing innocent.  
“For an actor, you’re really bad at lying,” Logan deadpanned.  
“Hey! I do not lie. And I’m an excellent actor, Microsoft nerd,” Roman said. Logan rolled his eyes.  
“Guys, don’t be rude!” Patton said, before his blue eyes lit up and he jumped from his seat.  
“I assume his new friend had arrived,” Roman said. Logan nodded, watching his hyper friend basically run to the door. Roman fixed his hair while he waited for Patton to come back. Logan rolled his eyes again at the theater nerd. He never liked not looking his best (“A Prince has to slay,” to quote him).

Patton returned a few minutes later with his friend in tow. Logan recognized him immediately from earlier that day.  
“Virgil?” Logan asked.  
“Logan?” Virgil asked back.  
“Wait you two know each other?” Patton asked, looking from Virgil to Logan.  
“You could say that. We met in the library earlier today,” Logan said. Virgil nodded in agreement.  
“Is that why you took forever to meet us?” Roman asked. “Why didn’t you say anything?”  
“I didn’t think you guys had met.”  
“Well, this is convenient! Now I only have to introduce you and Roman,” Patton said to Virgil. “Virgil, this is Roman Prince, and Roman, this is Virgil.”  
“Nice to meet you,” Roman said as Virgil moved into the seat next to Logan.

~~~~~~

The exchange went well, in the end. Virgil ended up giving his number to the rest of the boys before he had to go home to finish homework. Logan also decided to go home so he could finally get that hour of reading done.

Logan’s room was extremely tidy, as was the rest of the house. He liked everything to be organised in a way that he knew where everything was and still gave the room a tidy look. His room wasn’t anything special otherwise. His dark blue walls were mostly bare except for a few posters, as well as some paintings that Roman had given him as gifts. His bed was made with blankets in different shades of blue, with a dark blue, plaid quilt on top. At the end of his bed was stuffed dog that Patton gave him a few years back. Logan wasn’t one to own lots of stuffed animals (unlike Patton), but he appreciated the one Patton gave him and made sure it didn’t get damaged.

He was doing the same as what he usually did, which was curling up on his bed with his book with his laptop on in front of him. A YouTube video was playing quietly while Logan read. He finished his chapter, put his bookmark between the pages and closed the book. He could probably read further, but he had homework to do, as well as other things.

He was halfway through his algebra homework when his phone went off. It was Virgil, spamming him with memes. He smiled at that.

Logan:  
Virgil pls I’m trying to do homework  
6:08 PM

Virgil:  
I’m a walking meme you can’t stop me  
6:09 PM

Virgil:  
i’M A BAD BITCH YOU CAN’T KILL ME  
6:09 PM

Logan:  
V IR G IL N O  
6:09 PM

Virgil:  
You can’t stop me Logan. I am unstoppable  
6:10 PM

Logan:  
I can block you  
6:10 PM

Virgil:  
>:O HOW DARE  
6:10 PM


	2. The Anxious Emo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil is anxious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter mentions medication and anxiety, as well as Virgil's Doctor. It also mentions Virgil and other students over eating, but only briefly.

Virgil wasn’t usually one to make friends quickly, so he was quite surprised how quickly he became friends with Patton, and then Logan later. He was used to not having many real life friends. His anxiety was the main reason he wasn’t very social. Just the thought of having to talk to people made him want to hide in his room with his phone. But he just clicked with both Patton and Logan. Roman, not so much, but Patton said that they’d warm up to each other eventually. He wanted to introduce Virgil to his brother, as well as one of Roman’s friends. Virgil wasn’t quite sure if he was ready to meet so many new people at once, but he said he’d try meet them at some point.

He was genuinely surprised when Patton talked to him earlier that day. The freckled boy had just been so nice and friendly. His jokes were also so bad that they were good. Virgil didn’t think he’d ever become friends with someone so quickly. Usually Virgil didn’t like becoming friends with people right off the bat, since he found it hard to trust people straight away, and preferred to slowly build trust. But he’d somehow found himself making friends with two different people in the span of one conversation each. He trusted Patton with his life, but maybe that was a little because of his reputation of being an angel on earth at school. He wasn’t sure about Logan though. He seemed interesting to Virgil.

Although the volume on Virgil’s computer was really loud, he heard his Mum calling him for dinner. He paused Netflix and basically rolled out of his bed onto the floor. He really had to thank his Mum for keeping him alive. Without her, he’d probably forget to eat until midnight.

He made his way to the kitchen, where his Mum, Amelia was cooking a dinner of mashed potatoes and a small salad. Virgil resembled his mother in a lot of ways. He had the same thick, dark brown hair as his mother, except hers was a little lighter because she spent a lot more time in the sun than her son, and Virgil’s was also… dyed purple. He’d also inherited his eyes from his mother, but hers were a little less grey. Her fashion sense was also more colourful. In all, his mother looked a lot less dull than her very emo son.

“Hey Mum,” Virgil said, leaning on the counter.  
“Hey, Virgil. I’ll be able to pick the new meds Dr Picani prescribed you from the pharmacy during my lunch break tomorrow. Remember to take them with your meals, okay?”  
“Okay,” Virgil said.  
“Also, I’ll be picking up some vitamins for you as well, to see if they help you be less exhausted all the time,” She added. Virgil nodded. Ah yes, he forgot about the anti-dead inside meds.  
“Okay, cool,” Virgil said. His Mum smiled as she split the mashed potatoes between two plates.  
“How’s school?” She asked, switching to a more normal topic. She looked up from the food briefly. It was her own small way of showing she actually cared.  
“It was alright,” Virgil said, once again giving the same answer as usual. “I met some new people today,” He added. Amelia’s smile brightened at that.  
“That’s great sweetie! What are they like?” She asked as she served up the salad. She was really good at mindlessly cooking, which was a skill Virgil hoped he’d have as well.  
“They’re… nice,” Virgil said, not being able to think of a way to describe all three at once otherwise.  
“That’s lovely. I’m glad you’re making friends, hon.” She grabbed two forks from the kitchen draws.  
“Friends is a stretch…"  
“Here,” Amelia said, handing one of the plates to him. “Take this up to your room if you want.”  
“Thanks, Mum,” Virgil said.  
“You’re welcome. And, hey,” She placed a gentle hand on Virgil’s shoulder and smiled at him. “You’re doing great. I’m proud of you.” Virgil smiled back.  
“Thanks.”  
“Now, go back to your room. That show isn’t going to watch itself,” She said, patting his shoulder and turning away. Virgil was going to thank her again, but he didn’t want to be annoying and repeat himself, so he just took the plate and went back to his room.

He slipped under his purple blanket, not to move out from under it for many hours. He resumed his show and picked up his phone from the end of his bed. Not that he was all that sure what he would do with it. Possibly scroll through the hellsite known as Tumblr, which is what he usually did. Somehow, he opened messages instead of Tumblr and just went with it, deciding to text Logan again.

Virgil:  
Logann. Entertain me  
6:30 PM

He didn’t reply for a while. It’s okay, maybe Logan was just busy still, and not checking his phone. Still, like it always did, his brain assumed the worst. Did Logan hate him? He was probably just pretending to like him earlier- oh nevermind, he started typing.

Logan:  
How do I do that?  
6:49 PM

Logan:  
Also sorry for the late reply, I was finishing dinner. My parents don’t like me being on my phone at the table  
6:50 PM

Virgil:  
Oh, okay. Mum just lets me eat in my room most of the time  
6:50 PM

Oh no, did he reply too quickly? Would Logan think he was too eager to respond? That he was too clingy? No, wait- he responded.

Logan:  
Lucky. I have to sit at the table with my parents and actually talk to them.  
6:51 PM

Virgil:  
Ew socializing  
6:51 PM

Logan:  
Ugh, I know. I always eat as fast as I can just so I can get it over with.  
6:52 PM

Virgil:  
Sounds like you really love your family  
6:52 PM

Logan:  
I was going to make an attempt to defend myself, but you’re very right  
6:52 PM

Virgil:  
Oh wow  
6:53 PM

Logan:  
Hate to cut this conversation short, but I still need to finish my homework.  
6:53 PM

Virgil:  
U nerd  
6:54 PM

Virgil put his phone upside down as he smiled. Thankfully, Logan didn’t seem to hate him despite Virgil’s awkwardness and anxiety. At least through texting, he was safe from stuttering or taking too long of a pause to think of what to say. Of course, he always thought he was taking too long, even if he responded within a minute of the last text being sent. And fortunately, Virgil had yet to have one of those autocorrect fail moments. He’d considered turning the autocorrect off at some point but since he usually typed so fast, that’s mean he’d probably make more mistakes than with it on.

He rubbed his eyes and gave a slight sigh as he lied down on his almost flat pillow. He did have unfinished homework in his bad that he really didn’t want to do, but the “I finished my homework but accidentally left it at home” excuse was starting to get old. Eventually he’d get to it. Maybe. Probably not.

With a groan, he paused the episode he was on and got off his bed to get his bag. And by “get off” he meant weirdly crawl across the floor with his legs still on the bed while he reached for what he needed. He grabbed his notebook from one of the pockets before pushing the bag back to the foot of his bed. Time to spend hours completing work he couldn’t care less about.

~~~~~~

The night came, as it always did, and as usual, Virgil was still awake. He’d spent the last hour or so with his music blasting through his headphones. He had to do that in order to keep his thoughts away. Sometimes it didn’t even help, but usually music helped as a small distraction from the dark place his mind could take itself. Naturally, people were asleep during the late hours of the night, when his anxiety got worse, leaving him unable to reach out to. He did have a group of old friends he regular talked to online (who’d dubbed themselves the Virgil Protection Squad), who he was incredibly grateful for, but he didn’t want to bother them. He always felt bad when he messaged someone when it was really late.

Eventually, he gave up and opened one of the many group chats he shared with his friends over multiple social media apps. Based off everyone’s icons, no one was online, although some of them were most likely just browsing through YouTube. So he sent a message and waited to see if anyone would respond. Sure enough, two icons popped up.

[Virgil Protection Squad]

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
You summoned the Virge Protecc Squad? Brooke callign 4 duty  
11:06 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Yeet Queen Dani callin 4 duty  
11:06 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Hey guys I can’t sleep again  
11:07 PM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Do I need to whip out my 30 page essay again?  
11:07 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Nah  
11:08

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Where is that french fucker?  
11:08 PM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Estelle’s probably sleeping like a normal human  
11:09 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Ew humans scare me  
11:10 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Ok mood  
11:10 PM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Me lmao  
11:11 PM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Also Virge. Heres a tip that’ll help u 100% get to sleep  
11:11 PM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Turn off ur phone + close ur eyes  
11:12 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
wOW I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT  
11:13 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Thats… not how insomnia works  
11:13 PM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Ik. Srsly tho, Virge, just try get some sleep at least. It’s not healthy to not get enough sleep  
11:14 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Yea Dr Picani always tells me that  
11:15 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Ik ur prob sick of hearing it by now but he’s not wrong. At least try get 6 hours at the bare minimum  
11:16 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
OML U SOUND JUST LIKE MY DR STAHP  
11:16 PM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Mr Morgan you go to sleep this inSTANT  
11:17 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
SCREECH  
11:17 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
V I R G I L.  
11:18 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
OK FINE  
11:18 PM

~~~~~~

Somehow, Virgil found a way to get to sleep eventually. It didn’t matter that much though, considering that he was still exhausted when he woke up. He quickly threw on a black shirt, black jeans and a black P!ATD hoodie. Once he was ready, he headed to school. He couldn’t wait to see if his new vitamins would actually help him be less exhausted. Or the new meds also.

The first class went by quick enough. He turned in his homework that’d been assigned a few weeks back. Thankfully, they were watching an online lecture and taking notes, which was an easy enough task to do. The class was dismissed after the lecture was done, and Virgil got a text almost immediately. He slipped his notebook into his bag and checked his phone as he walked out. It was from Patton.

Patton:  
Hey Virgil! We’re hanging out with my brother and Remy after school today. Wanna join us? :D  
10:10 AM

Virgil:  
I’ll think abt it k? :)  
10:12 AM

Patton:  
ok! Hope u do join us  
10:13 AM

Virgil put his phone back into his pocket and smiled. Patton always made him smile with how cheerful he always was, no matter what. He ran his fingers through his purple hair as he walked to his next class. That class went by quickly, and when that was dismissed, Virgil went to the library.

On his way to the library, he had a quick snack while he walked. During his walk, he glanced out at the outside through the window. For a second, he thought he saw Patton and Roman, but he wasn’t sure. He kept walking though. He wasn’t really in the mood to hang out with anyone, and wanted to be left alone for the most part.

Admittedly, he was surprised when he arrived at the library. It was a lot louder than it had been the day before, and it was a lot busier. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t drown out with his music though. He dug his hands into his pockets, where he felt his phone inside them. He held his book under his arm as he went inside. The petite librarian girl gave him a small wave and a slight smile. Virgil waved back before retreating to the same corner he’d sat at the previous day.

He wasn’t very surprised to see Logan sitting there already, already nose deep in a book. He sat with his arms folded, holding the pages open with only some pressure from one of his hands. He also had headphones on that lead to his phone, which was on the table, next to his open book. Logan had yet to notice the other boy, which was understandable, since Virgil had yet to say a word.

Virgil set down his book and sat down. Finally, Logan looked up from his book, pushing up his glasses and straightening his posture. He quickly paused his music and took off his headphones.  
“Good afternoon, Virgil,” Logan said.  
“Hey,” Virgil said. He opened his book to the page he’d been up to before. “You were right about it being a lot louder in here today,” he added, looking around the room at everyone else. Logan nodded.  
“Yeah, which is why I bring my headphones, just in case,” Logan said, tapping his headphones. Virgil could agree with why he’d do that. He simply couldn’t read or focus when surrounded by lots of different voices, he just couldn’t do it. Something about not knowing exactly where they were coming or something along those lines. Dr Picani had tried to explain it to Virgil, but he still didn’t quite understand.  
“Fair enough,” was all Virgil said before returning to his book. Logan did the same, and silence settled between them. Virgil also put on his headphones and played his Spotify playlist, so he could actually focus.

Virgil really appreciated that Logan didn’t force conversations, unlike some people Virgil had met before. Of course, he didn’t mind talking to people like Patton or Brooklyn or Dani, but sometimes he needed a break from stuff like that. And Logan was a nice refresher when he needed it. Considering that Logan was also friends with people like Roman and Patton, Virgil liked to imagine he also preferred a less eccentric friendship every so often. At least, he hoped that was true, although his inner voice would much prefer to call Virgil boring in comparison to Logan’s other friends. That was something he’d rather not think about too much. Instead, he distracted himself with his book and his music until he needed to leave for his next class. He left the library with a quick “bye” to both Logan and the librarian girl. She waved him goodbye as he left the library to get to his next class.

~~~~~~

There had only been one class left holding Virgil back from going home, and of course it was one of his least favourites. That class being PE. He absolutely despised anything to do with sport. It was exhausting and he didn’t really seem the point of getting tired and sweaty for nothing more than bragging rights. That wasn’t the only thing, either. He also hated the uniform the teacher made them wear.

Well, technically it wasn’t a full uniform, as his school wasn’t the type of school to enforce uniforms. But, the PE teacher decided that it would be better for the students to wear a uniform that would supposedly be better to do sport in than whatever the student decided to wear on that day. The school board did like that idea, apparently, so they gave students a few different colours to choose from. Of course, Virgil chose grey and black version, because why wouldn’t he?

He still hated the uniform, despite that it could’ve been a lot worse. Virgil felt very awkward in it, and the uniform more hung off his frame, making him look a lot skinnier than he actually was. He also just didn’t like wearing shorts in general unless he absolutely had to.

There didn’t appear to be too many students that shared the same problem. There were a few, most who had a similar body type to Virgil, whether that be because of genetics or, like Virgil, under eating.

Virgil found a way to survive the class, mostly by just staying away and letting the sportier kids have their fun. One dark skinned girl, who seemed to be using the same strategy as Virgil, talked to him for a bit. He didn’t really classify the exchange as a conversation, as it was mostly just the girl, Cosima, talking and Virgil occasionally offering input every so often. Otherwise, he survived through PE with little participation needed. Still, he was in no mood to socialize any longer, and really just wanted to go home. He texted Patton.

Virgil:  
Hey Patt. Sorry to disappoint, but I think I’m just going to go home after school. I hope you and the others don’t mind  
3:12 PM

Patton:  
Don’t u apologize. It’s perfectly fine. Logan canceled too  
3:12 PM

Holy shit, he texted back fast.

Virgil:  
Okay, cool. Why’d Logan cancel?  
3:13 PM

Patton:  
He didn’t say. Anyway, we can all meetup some other time. Remy will for sure be down if coffee or Starbucks is involved and I can persuade Damian  
3:14 PM

Virgil:  
You sure?  
3:14 PM

Patton:  
Of course! TTYL, Virge :D  
3:15 PM

Virgil:  
See ya :)  
3:15 PM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all need a friend like Patton istg
> 
> Kudos and Comments are always appreciated (Seriously, I love them). If you have any constructive critique, let me know.


	3. Local nerd is done with ur shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan is done with everyone and his parents suck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was trying to get these out once a week but school exists and I had no ideas for a while so yEET--
> 
> Also it occurred to me that this is probably gonna burn slowly bc of how I like to write Romance so I'm adding a slow burn tag.

Logan left the town library after an hour or so. Yes, he had been invited to hang out with Patton and company, but he’d declined. The reason for it was for Virgil to meet Remy and Damian, and since Virgil had technically met him twice, there was really no reason for him to go as well. No doubt Virgil would also be invited to their next movie night, so they could all hang out then. Logan wanted to have time for himself every so often, and this was one of those times.

He returned a book he’d gotten out on astronomy a week ago before leaving and returning home. His parents didn’t notice him as he closed the door behind him. He didn’t really need to start a conversation anyway, so he passed on through the hallway to his bedroom. His sister was probably in her room, listening or even playing music quietly. The TV was playing loudly from the living room, probably just the news or a show Logan couldn’t care less about. Despite what both his parents thought, he didn’t share a lot of interests with either of them. They both didn’t understand Logan’s fascination with fiction, and thought it was mostly a waste of time. This didn’t stop them from enjoying TV, like the hypocrites they were.

Logan sighed before he could get mad internally at his parents again, going inside his bedroom and closing the door behind him. He kicked off his shoes and flopped down on his bed. His afternoon would probably be spent doing more homework with analytic analysis’ or reviews on random books and media, some that he hadn’t even seen himself. 

He could hear his parents talking in the living room. Knowing them, they were probably debating about whatever they were watching, talking about how stupid what was happening. Probably. They did that every afternoon. They’d talk for ages - something Logan couldn’t understand. Often when they talked about TV shows, they brought up Logan and his love for fiction, always along the lines of “how can Logan enjoy this shit” or “does Logan actually enjoy this show?”. Usually, the answer to the latter was actually no, since he was fully aware of all the cliches and the pandering and that kind of stuff. But that didn’t matter to his parents. Because to them, all fiction was the same.

He was just about to start on his English assignment when his phone went off. Twice in a row. He turned on his phone to see what the notifications were from. They were two text messages. One from Virgil, and one from Roman. He opened and responded to Virgil’s first.

Virgil:  
Hey Logan. Patton said u canceled on the meet up. What r u doin now?  
4:56 PM

Logan:  
Hey Virgil. I’m doing English homework rn. Aren’t you with Patton & Roman rn?  
4:57 PM

Virgil:  
Nah. I needed to come home and relax so Patton rescheduled  
4:57 PM

Logan:  
I see  
4:58 PM

Virgil:  
Ye  
4:58 PM

Virgil:  
Although I canceled to chill, my friends are basically blowing up my phone rn  
4:59 PM

Logan:  
Lol why?  
5:00 PM

Virgil:  
They’re mad at one of my other friends because she didn’t come for the Virgil Protection Squad meeting despite being “summoned”  
5:01 PM

Logan:  
Virgil Protection Squad…?  
5:02 PM

Virgil:  
Ya VPS is a thing because my friends have got nothing better to do with their lives APPARENTLY  
5:03 PM

Virgil:  
The name started out as a joke but then they adopted it as their own bc they hate me  
5:03 PM

Logan:  
They sound like great ppl  
5:04 PM

Virgil:  
Ya  
5:04 PM

Virgil:  
Anyway, I’ll let u get back to ur hw now. I have some friends to deal with  
5:05 PM

Logan:  
Later  
5:05 PM

He pushed his computer away from him slightly as he shifted and opened up Roman’s message. On second thought, he probably should’ve responded to Roman first, because based off previous experiences, Roman could get very… spammy when people weren’t paying attention to him. Luckily, he’d been spared this time.

Roman:  
What is Sir Logan Phillips doing at this hour? It better be good since u canceled on us  
4:56 PM

Logan:  
Sir Logan Phillips is done with ur shit, Roman  
5:06 PM

Roman:  
Oof  
5:07 PM

Logan:  
To answer the question, I’m finishing homework & talking 2 Virgil  
5:07 PM

Roman:  
Boring! And is Virgil more important than talking to me, now?  
5:08 PM

Logan:  
Yes, as he’s a lot more bearable  
5:09 PM

Roman:  
*insert offended gasp* I’M HURT  
5:09 PM

Logan:  
Then perish  
5:10 PM

Roman:  
*insert ANOTHER offended gasp* ROOD  
5:10 PM

Roman:  
I’m going to mourn my happiness on my own now B Y E  
5:11 PM

~~~~~~

The next day came and went quickly for Logan. As usual, Patton texted him to confirm the movie night that was going on that night. Apparently, Damian - who was in charge of choosing the movie this time - was refusing to tell anyone what movie he’d chosen, which was rather frightening. Especially considering it was Damian, and he made it a hobby to watch the others suffer. In the group chat they shared, Roman guessed the bee movie, to which Damian responded with just a “;)”, which left them all fearing for the hours to come.

L.Phillips:  
Please let’s not make a repeat of Bee Week.  
4:43 PM

SleepAllGay:  
oh gOD NO  
4:43 PM

Deception_Foster:  
;) ;) ;) ;) ;)  
4:44 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
We’ve got Remy on our side that means shit’s going down  
4:45 PM

Pattoncake22:  
Brother pls  
4:45 PM

L.Phillips:  
Virgil is never going to join us again if we repeat Bee Week so LET’S NOT  
4:46 PM

Deception_Foster:  
Hue hue hue ;) ;) ;)  
4:46 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
D A M I A N N O  
4:47 PM

Deception_Foster:  
See y’all in a hour ;) ;)  
4:48 PM

Pattoncake22:  
Brother why are you like this?  
4:48 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
Istg if he has the Bee Movie in his hands when y’all arrive i’m locking the door  
4:49 PM

Logan sighed and put his phone down. It was such a Damian move to try prompt a repeat of that terrible time in the group’s lives. Logan was one of the people who suffered the most while watching the Bee movie, since he was very familiar with what kind of stuff made terrible movies, including the Bee movie. 

He changed into a different pair of clothes - a grey hoodie, white button up with black t-shirt underneath and black jeans - just as his phone went off. It was the text notification sound, as opposed to the Instagram notification sound that had been sounding due to the group chat. That meant it was probably Virgil instead of one of the others. He laughed at the message he saw.

Virgil:  
Patton is telling me to fear for my life tonight what is happening  
4:58 PM

Logan:  
Honestly none of us know but Damian is being cryptic & we r all fearing  
4:59 PM

Virgil:  
Oh god  
4:59 PM

Logan:  
See u soon  
5:00 PM

He slipped his phone into his messenger bag. It was 5 PM, meaning it was about time for him to leave. Typically, he’d drive to Roman’s house on his own, but since Logan’s mother had wanted to go out, she decided to drive Logan there instead. He would’ve protested, but he didn’t want either of his parents questioning why they couldn’t come.

He stepped out of his room at the same time as his sister. She looked up from the papers in her hands. She looked quite similar to her brother, with the same eyes as Logan that also had to be assisted by a pair of glasses. They also both shared the dark brown hair, but Lauren’s was darker and long. She pushed up her glasses and looked at Logan.  
“Hey, Logan. Are you about to go to Roman’s house?” Lauren asked, clutching her papers to her chest, as if she didn’t want Logan, or anyone, to see.  
“Hey, Lauren. And yeah, I’m just about to go,” He replied. He gestured towards Lauren’s papers. “What’re these?”  
“Oh, uh… they’re just some music sheets. I ran out of the templates I used, so I printed some more. I need to get them now,” Lauren explained. “Sorry, I shouldn’t keep you any longer. See you when you get back… which will be?”  
“Probably tomorrow, or at least really late, knowing Roman and Remy. Have fun with your music,” He said. Lauren nodded.  
“Thanks, you have fun too,” Lauren said before starting on her way again. Logan sighed and went outside, where both his parents were waiting in the car. That surprised him. After all, he thought it was only his mother that wanted to go out, and typically, they tried not to leave neither him nor Lauren alone at home. Still, he didn’t protest. If he questioned it, his parents might start pestering him more, as they seemed to do whenever Logan showed the slightest hint of defiance.

He slid into the back seat, taking off his messenger bag and sitting it next to him. He took his phone out of his bag again to send a message to the group chat while he still had access to the internet.

L.Phillips:  
omw now  
5:17 PM

He slipped his phone back into his bag next to his water bottle and spare deodorant - something he wished some of his classmates would carry with them as well. He looked up and saw his father looking at him through the small mirror that was hanging from the roof. He didn’t even have to say a word for Logan to know he was probably judging him for being on his phone, if only for a short few seconds. His father turned away and pushed up his glasses.

“How was school today, Logan?” His mother, Eloise Phillips, asked, starting up the car.  
“It was good,” He said, purposely trying to stifle any conversation or small talk.  
“How are Roman and the Fosters?” She asked, keeping her eyes forward as she pulled out of the driveway.  
“They’re fine,” He answered. There were things he could’ve brought up, like the new puppy Patton was taking care of at the shelter or the screenplay Roman was working on, but didn’t, because he knew his parents didn’t actually care. They preferred Logan being friends with top of the class, intelligent people, overlooking the fact that both Roman and Patton being smart in their own ways. They thought that the things Patton cared about were trivial and Roman’s creativity was useless in comparison to logical thinking.  
He took a moment to calm himself down. He was getting mad at them internally again. It was illogical for him to get mad about something he thought about or remembered. His phone went off, pulling himself from his thoughts. He picked up his phone and read the notification. It was a text from Virgil.

Virgil:  
Do we know what Damian is up to or are we being left to fear?  
5:20 PM

“Who’s texting you?” His father asked suddenly, his arms crossed. He looked at Logan through the mirror again.  
“A friend,” Logan said. It wasn’t a lie, Virgil was a friend, he just wasn’t one his parents knew. He quickly typed in his reply.

Logan:  
Currently being left to fear. Ur suffering along with us I guess  
5:21 PM

Virgil:  
Greeeeeaaaat  
5:22 PM

“Give Logan a break, Bruce. He’s allowed to text his friends,” His mother said. Although she was technically defending him, Logan knew she didn’t completely disagree with her husband’s ideals.  
“I like to know who he’s friends with, and when there’s a screen in between Logan and whoever he’s talking to, I can’t see them,” He said. Of course, he spoke like Logan wasn’t even there. He did that to both Logan and Lauren. And not just that, but what he said. The idea that he had to know everyone Logan associated with. It was so damn helicopter parenting-ish, it drove him insane.  
The fact that his mother didn’t disagree with her husband also drove him insane. He, obviously, wasn’t a parent and didn’t plan on being one for a long time either, but surely they knew how controlling they were of their children, right? If they did, they did a great job of hiding it. Maybe if they weren’t so close minded, they could consider and acting job.

Calm down, Logan. Deep breaths.

The rest of the car ride was mostly spent in silence. Logan texted his friends, to which he had to justify himself almost every time. His father only ever seem satisfied when Logan said his sister’s name, which was true one of the three times he said it. His father didn’t pester him when he said he was texting Lauren, so he pretended that was the person he was talking to the whole time when it was actually Virgil and sometimes Patton.

The car pulled up outside Roman’s house, a considerably extravagant house, at least compared to the rest of the group. It wasn’t actually that extravagant (more just extra, because that’s how everything was when Roman was involved), but it was quite nice. It was two floors high and painted a very light grey. The garden out front was well groomed (courtesy of Roman’s mum, who had an eye for more aesthetic things), as well as the cobblestone path that led up to the porch. The porch light was on, casting a nice, warm light over the slowly darkening garden. They also had a small pool in the back that Roman often invited the others to swim in during the hottest summer days.

Logan looked to his father quickly as he unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his bag. He merely took in the house, and Logan could practically hear him thinking about how extra the house was. He got out of the car before he could let himself get mad again. With a quick goodbye, his parents were gone from the road. Logan gripped the strap of his messenger bag and sighed, turning towards Roman’s house. At least he could not think about his parents for a few hours.

Calm down, Logan. Deep breaths.

L.Phillips:  
I’m here  
5:40 PM

Pattoncake22:  
Good :D We’re almost there (getting Wifi from fother)  
5:40 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
Me and Remy are waiting for y’all so we can foking order pizzas already  
5:41 PM

L.Phillips:  
U don’t know our orders????  
5:42 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
I don’t know Virgil’s???  
5:42 PM

L.Phillips:  
Roman u have his number. ASK HIM  
5:43 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
NO U  
5:43 PM

L.Phillips:  
Insert sigh here  
5:44 PM

With that, he smiled. This was going to be an enjoyable movie night. Unless Damian actually did bring the bee movie. Then, it’d be a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damian, ur a lil shit


	4. Movie night with emo boi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil goes to movie night n shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't re read this so YEET--

Virgil had never been invited to something like this. Sometimes he’d have movie marathons with the Virgil Protection Squad, but he was close to them, and there was only a few of them there. He probably wouldn’t be worrying so much if he weren’t also meeting both Patton’s brother and Roman’s friend. What if they hated him or he made a bad first impression? Would he just not be invited again? Also, according to what Patton had told him, they had movie nights almost bi-weekly.

He tried to focus on the breathing exercises Dr Picani told him about. His phone was still blowing up with the messages between Dani, Brooke and Estelle. They were very supportive of Virgil making and hanging out with his new friends, and Brooke was quick to break out her 30 page essay on “Why Virgil DOES NOT Suck” when Virgil brought up how nervous he was.

Virgil brushed off his black skull sweater and combed his purple hair with his fingers. His mother laughed quietly from the kitchen. Virgil stopped pacing the living room, hearing his mother walk in. She smiled at her son.  
“It’s going to be fine, sweetie,” Amelia said.  
“I don’t know… what if they don’t like me?” Virgil asked.  
“That’s just your anxiety talking. You’re a great person, Virgil. If they don’t like you, they’re missing out,” She said, hugging Virgil. She pulled back and gestured to his bag. “Are you taking your meds with you?”  
Virgil nodded.  
“Okay. So, just to clarify: you’re going to be watching a movie with your friends at one of their houses and they’ll either drop you off after it’s done or you’ll go to school with them?” She asked.  
“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Virgil said.  
“Okay, and you have enough stuff for the night?” She asked. Virgil nodded again. “Okay, good. Are we ready to go?” Virgil nodded one last time, grabbing his phone off the couch.

~~~~~~

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
I’m leaving home now  
5:21 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Have fun, Virge!  
5:22 PM

The.Frenchiest.Fry:  
Pls post to your story to let us know what going on  
5:23 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
K  
5:23 PM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
And take care of yourself. I know your habits  
5:24 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Ok mother  
5:24 PM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Someone has to be the Mum friend here  
5:25 PM

The.Frenchiest.Fry:  
Because I am irresponsible (and can barely speak proper english) and Danielle is just… a child trapped in a teenager’s body  
5:26 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Ok true  
5:26 PM

The.Frenchiest.Fry:  
Have fun with ur new friends Virge!  
5:27 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Ty Estelle  
5:27 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Also be careful with how much gay u use  
5:28 PM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Are you implying there is such thing as too much gay  
5:28 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Don’t worry abt me being 2 gay lol I’ll b too busy being awkward  
5:29 PM

~~~~~~

“This should be the right house,” Amelia said suddenly, stopping the car. Virgil looked up from his phone and tried to mask his surprise upon seeing the house. He couldn’t help but think he shouldn’t be here. “Virgil?” His mother asked.  
“Uh- right. Yeah, this should be it,” Virgil said. Judging by how… extra the house was, it could really only belong to Roman’s family. He wondered what the rest of the Prince family was like, since his only introduction to them was Roman. Amelia swiveled in her seat to look at Virgil.  
“Hey, have fun, okay? You deserve to have fun,” She said. Virgil nodded. “Tell me about it when you get home, okay?”  
“Yeah, sure,” Virgil said, stepping out of the car. “See ya.” He shut the door of the car. His Mum waved to him as she pulled out onto the road. Virgil took a deep breath to calm himself. It’d be okay, his friends were inside. He messaged Logan to let him know he’d arrived.

Virgil:  
Hey Lo. I’m here  
5:51 PM

Logan:  
Everyone’s waiting upstairs 4 u. Damian’s refusing to reveal the movie until you come in so we’re waiting  
5:52 PM

Logan:  
I’ll come down now. Hold on  
5:53 PM

Virgil put his phone in his pocket and waited on the doorstep. For a moment he wondered if he should knock or just wait for Logan. He decided to wait, and after a few minutes of standing there, the door opened, with Logan standing behind it. Logan adjusted his glasses and gave Virgil an almost smile.  
“Hey, Virgil,” Logan said.  
“Sup, Logan,” Virgil said with what was probably supposed to be a wave but didn’t quite make it.   
“C’mon, you guys! Damian’s being a dick, hurry up and get back here!” A voice that could only belong to Roman said from inside. Logan sighed, apparently deciding Roman wasn’t worth a witty retort.  
“Let’s go join the others,” Logan said, leading Virgil inside. “Oh, and just ignore Roman’s two sisters. They like to interrupt midway through our movies just for the sake of annoying their brother.” Virgil laughed.

Logan lead Virgil up the stairs and around the corner to where Roman’s room was. Virgil looked around, trying to make sure he knew where everything was in this house. Roman’s sisters’ rooms were down the hall, along with a spare bathroom, apparently. Jesus christ, how rich was Roman’s family?! He definitely did not belong here. Damn it, why did he always have to leave the comfort of his home? It never went well for him anyway, and his Mum could use the company from someone other than their cat. God, he was so stupid…

“...Virgil?” Logan asked. Virgil snapped out of his thoughts.  
“Uh- Sorry, I was thinking about… something,” Virgil said. Logan nodded in understanding. They went inside Roman’s room, and again, Virgil was taken aback by how… nice everything was. The walls were a cream colour with gold designs painted on them. One half of the room was carpeted with a nice burgundy colour. There was also a white, fluffy rug at the foot of the bed, which was against the far wall, by the window. 

The group of guys were on a rather large couch, each of them wrapped in a white or red blanket. Virgil recognized both Roman and Patton. The other two could only be Remy and Damian. Virgil immediately felt his stomach twist into a knot at the thought of meeting new people. For just a second, he wondered if he should leave, pretending to be sick. Technically he wouldn’t be lying if he said he felt sick. God, his hands were getting sweaty. And now that he’d payed attention to it, he was going to sweat more. Great.

“Oh, hey! Panic! At the Everywhere’s finally here!” Roman said, swiveling to look at Virgil. Virgil barely had time to process the nickname before his mind was overwhelmed again. The other three guys also swiveled around. Shit! ABORT MISSION! ABORT MISSION!

Virgil tensed, and Logan must’ve noticed. He send Virgil a concerned look but didn’t say anything. Still, even if he didn’t verbally say anything, his eyes still told him that he was going to be okay. And Virgil would be lying if he said he didn’t appreciate that from Logan.

“Virgil! Come over here!” Patton said excitedly, gesturing for him and Logan to join them on the couch. Was there even enough room for them all? Still, he went with it. What else was he going to do? He was already too far deep.

Virgil looked over the two guys he didn’t recognize. The one he assumed was Damian was quite a lot different in appearance to his brother, but the resemblance was there. Damian’s hair was straighter than the mess of curls that was Patton’s hair, and also closer to a dirty blonde than the light brown of his brother’s. He also had two different colour eyes… that was called heterochromia, right? One was dark green, the other was almost an amber or gold colour. He wore a black hoodie with yellow sleeves and hood, with the words “liar liar” written on it. They were accompanied with plain black track pants and scale patterned socks.

The other one - Remy - had dark brown, almost black hair and piercing blue eyes. Based off clothing alone, Remy looked like Virgil’s type of person. He had ripped black jeans on with a leather jacket and black shirt that said “sleep all day” on it in white letters. In his hand was a half empty starbucks coffee that he seemed to intentionally be holding out of Roman’s reach.

Remy gave Virgil far too obvious elevator eyes, instinctively making Virgil curl in slightly on himself. Again, a concerned look from Logan. Remy raised a dark eyebrow at Virgil.

“He’s a cute one,” He said quietly, taking a sip of his starbucks. Virgil swore he almost choked. Remy pointed at Virgil with his cup. “I like your style.”  
“I- Th… thanks. Nice jacket,” Virgil said, silently cursing his stutter.  
“Please refrain from flirting with Virgil just yet,” Logan joked, sliding onto the couch. Virgil sat next to him, still amazed that they could fit 6 guys on the couch all at once.  
“I just said he was cute, relax,” Remy said, placing his feet on the coffee table in front of them.  
“Yes, because that isn’t flirting at all,” Damian said, sarcasm so thick it could give Virgil a run for his money. Maybe he didn’t have to worry so much after all. Damian briefly turned to Virgil. “Don’t worry, he does this to everyone. Doesn’t he, Logan?”  
Logan merely rolled his eyes as his answer. That was a topic to bring up next time they spoke.  
“Do we or do we not have a movie to get to?” Roman asked.  
“Oh yeah, we do,” Damian said.  
“Is it the bee movie?” Patton asked. Even him, who never seemed to be anything less than happy looked incredibly done with his brother’s shit.  
“All I’m gonna say is Roman has incredibly great guessing skills,” Damian said. If he added anything else, no one heard it over the collective groan from everyone while Damian cackled to himself.  
“Brother, why are you like this?”  
“It was this or the Emoji movie.” Another loud groan. “I like seeing you all suffer.”  
“How rude,” Remy said with a fake gasp. Logan shook his head.  
“We should stop letting Damian pick movies,” He said. He looked to Virgil as he said “he does this every damn time.”  
“Oh wow…” was all Virgil could say. Despite the banter between the other five guys, he could tell they were all rather close, and that just made Virgil feel more out of place here. This was a clear group of friends. One Virgil didn’t belong in. That didn’t mean that he didn’t want to be apart of the group, but he knew he wouldn’t ever be. He’d probably only ever be close with Logan, if even that.

Damian got up to put on the Bee movie, and when he came back, Roman refused to let him back on.  
“No. You bring the bee movie, you sit on the floor,” He said, stealing the blanket Damian had been using. Damian shrugged.  
“Fair enough. Your rug and carpet are nice anyway,” Damian said. He made an attempt to get the blanket off Roman, but failed due to Remy helping Roman and almost spilling his coffee on Damian in the process.  
“Careful of your starbies, Remy,” Patton said, pushing his brother away slightly with his foot, to which Damian protested, of course.  
“It’s fine, I’ve got countless coffee stains in my carpet already and hidden them with some strategically placed furniture,” Roman explained with his classic extra gestures. Remy rolled his eyes.  
“You would think with your amount of money that you’d be able to find some way to get out coffee stains,” Remy said. Virgil nodded. Remy wasn’t wrong.

The banter and jabs at one another continued for a while. Virgil sat in silence, just listening to the conversation. Logan was mostly quiet as well, only adding to the conversation every so often. Everyone stopped talking when the notorious first line of the movie was spoken. Roman continued to kick Damian while the boy on the floor laughed at everyone’s anguish. Logan spent most of the hour and a half criticizing everything and eventually just getting really pissed at the ridiculous plot, to which Virgil made it his job to tell Logan to calm down.

That was basically all Virgil ever said besides telling others to pass a pizza box he couldn’t reach. But despite that, he still found himself relaxing and enjoying himself. Unlike most times he hung out with people he wasn’t completely familiar with, he didn’t feel the need to grab his phone and text VPS to save him. He might have even forgot to update them if they didn’t spam when they wanted updates. He couldn’t help but smile at the fact he’d made good new friends.

~~~~~~

The movie was finished and nobody could be bothered going home, so they all decided to stay at Roman’s. It turned out that the couch extended out so each third could become a large bed. It was an effort for Virgil to pretend to not look as surprised as he felt. He knew Roman was well off, but the extent of his richness never ceased to amaze him. While Roman was nowhere close to humble, he didn’t brag about how rich he was, which was why Virgil was so surprised by everything.

No one swapped where they were originally on the couch, aside from Roman because obviously, it was his room and he had his own bed, and Damian, who took Roman’s spot. That meant Virgil was still in the corner next to Logan, which was the most comfortable for him anyway.

It was starting to get late by normal people’s standards, so everyone started being quiet so the others could get a chance to sleep. Virgil knew he’d probably be the last one to get to sleep, due to his insomnia and avoidance to being alone with his anxiety. One by one, everyone eventually fell asleep until it was just Virgil and Logan. Logan was reading a book without his glasses on, and Virgil was still on his phone and messaging the Virgil Protection Squad.

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Everyone is asleep except for me and Logan  
10:47 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Bich sleep  
10:47 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
I think both Brooke and Estelle are cleeping so ur next V  
10:48 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Ur awake tho  
10:48 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
I’m about to cleep tho so I don’t count  
10:49 PM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
UGH FINE  
10:50 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Good  
10:50 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Virgil??  
11:12 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
I think he finally went to sleep. Good. Your health is important, V  
11:14 PM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Jesus I sound like Brooklyn again  
11:15 PM

~~~~~~

Virgil woke up, although it took him a while to fully wake up. When he did, he almost forgot he was still at Roman’s house. He shifted a little. It’d been a long time since he’d slept so well and without his anxious thoughts.

He looked around to see who else was awake. Logan was sitting up, still without his glasses on while looking at his phone. Remy was also awake at his side of the couch with a smug expression on his face and phone in his hand. If anyone else was awake, Virgil couldn’t see them.

It occurred to him that his arm was still in the same position it had been while sleeping, and that was loosely over Logan’s leg. Virgil drew his arm in and sat up, stretching and knocking an empty pizza box off the end of the couch-bed thing. He rubbed his eyes. It seemed Roman was also awake over in his bed, but refusing to leave where he lied. Virgil couldn’t blame him. Roman probably had a pretty comfortable bed considering how much money his family had.

Virgil reached for his bag and, with it, his medication. It’d be time to leave soon, and he wanted to make sure he’d taken his meds before he forgot later.


	5. it'S CALLED FRIENDSHIP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does Logan Phillips is gay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a week late ^^;
> 
> Last weekend, I was at a sleepover for my friend's birthday and I didn't have my computer with me so I couldn't work on this. I downloaded docs on my phone and started writing this on the bus. I'll try pump another chapter as soon as possible to make up for this.
> 
> Also this chapter is around 1,000 words longer than usual, so I hope that can also make up for it.

Admittedly, Logan had been rather surprised when he woke up with Virgil’s arms around him, but he chose to think nothing of it. It must’ve happened while Virgil was asleep, anyway, since Logan had gone to sleep after him and Virgil’s arms weren’t around him then, so it didn’t mean anything. However, the others would probably not understand that, based off past experiences.

When he woke up, he thought he may have gotten lucky, but that was before he saw that Remy was awake before him. The black haired boy hadn’t said anything, which could mean he didn’t care, but most likely meant Logan would be questioned later, because Remy didn’t skip over things like… that.

The chaos truly began when Roman dropped everyone off at their own houses and they were each left to talk in the group chat. The chat was dead for mere seconds before Remy messaged them all a photo of the night before. Specifically, the exact moment Logan didn’t want the others to know about.

SleepAllGay:  
DoesLoganPhillipsIsGay.png  
11:12 AM

SleepAllGay:  
GURL  
11:12 AM

Pattoncake22:  
:OOOO OMG L O G A N  
11:13 AM

Deception_Foster:  
Oooh I sense tea that must be spilled  
11:13 AM

Prince._.Charming:  
Logan, you have some explaining to do sir  
11:13 AM

L.Phillips:  
No.  
11:13 AM

SleepAllGay:  
I think I get why you didn’t want me flirting with Virgil now ;)  
11:14 AM

Deception_Foster:  
Logan, the robot?? Having feelings?!?  
11:14 AM

L.Phillips:  
No comment  
11:14 AM

Pattoncake22:  
...I ship it  
11:15 AM

L.Phillips:  
Please. Don’t.  
11:15 AM  
SleepAllGay:  
Is Logan harbouring feelings for Virgil??  
11:15 AM

Deception_Foster:  
Lolol I thought he was gonna say a fugitive  
11:16 AM

SleepAllGay:  
ARE YOU HARBOURING A FUGITIVE?!  
11:16 AM

L.Phillips:  
I will not confirm nor deny whether or not I’m harbouring a fugitive  
11:16 AM

Pattoncake22:  
Does th fugitive have feelings for Virge?  
11:17 AM

L.Phillips:  
No comment  
11:17 AM

Deception_Foster:  
This is why Virgil hasn’t been added yet, isn’t it…?  
11:18 AM

Prince._.Charming:  
Ya  
11:18 AM

Prince._.Charming:  
Anyway I have a fic to go write for now bye  
11:18 AM

SleepAllGay:  
Cya gurl  
11:19 AM

L.Phillips:  
I’m gonna go now  
11:19 AM

SleepAllGay:  
UH NO U DON’T  
11:20 AM

Pattoncake22:  
Byeee Lo  
11:20 AM

Prince._.Charming:  
doN’T LET HIM LEAVEE  
11:20 AM

L.Phillips:  
I’m going...  
11:21 AM

SleepAllGay:  
N O  
11:21 AM

L.Phillips:  
I’m gone  
11:21 AM

He closed the app, knowing it was rather petty, but smiled anyway. His phone continued to blow up even as he went to his room. Both his parents raised an eyebrow at their son, but Logan ignored them, closing the door to his room lightly behind him. Opening his laptop, he put on The Adventure Zone, a D&D podcast he tried to listen to any chance he got.

Nothing much usually happened during the weekends for Logan, and he didn’t really mind that. Weekends were a time for Logan to relax and sit in quiet - something he didn't get a lot during school days. On Saturdays and Sundays, he could just watch various conspiracy theories or videos on psychology and just have time to himself.

He lounged back, listening to TAZ while, of course, reading. It was a book set during the time with the Zodiac Killer that Logan had put on pause for a while to make way for newer releases, but considering he didn't have that much longer left of the novel, he thought he might as well finish it.

He stopped only when he got away notification on his phone from Virgil. A text reading:

Virgil:  
I'm bored can we talk?  
11:58 AM

Logan:  
Sure, why not?  
11:58 AM

Typically, if he was so close so close to finishing a book, he wouldn't respond to anyone until after he was done. For some reason, however, he decided not to treat Virgil the same way.

Virgil:  
Cool. Do you mind if we Insta call? I don't want to waste too much credit ^^;  
11:59 AM 

Logan:  
Thats fine with me  
11:59 AM

Everyone had given Virgil their Instagram usernames while at Roman’s house, even Roman, all though reluctantly. He and Virgil still weren't quite the best of friends yet and Roman still enjoyed coming up with taunting nicknames for Virgil.

Logan paused TAZ as he got the call from “VirgeOfDeathTBH”, aka Virgil.

“Hey, Lo,” Virgil said, his voice quiet.  
“Morning, Virgil.”  
“Technically, it's noon.” Logan checked and Virgil was right, as it had just gone 12.  
“You'd be right about that,” Logan said.  
“How's life?”  
“As life always is.”  
“So, shit?” That got a laugh out of Logan. Both boys fell silent for a second, thinking of what to say to fill said silence.  
“So, did you enjoy yourself at movie night?” Logan asked, fixing his hair as to give his hands something to do.  
“Yeah, despite the movie Damian chose,” Virgil said. His purple tipped bangs fell in front of his eyes as he said, “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable during the night.”  
“What do you mean?” Logan asked. If he pretended not to know, surely it would soothe Virgil’s anxiety more than just not caring.  
“Oh- uh, nevermind, don't worry about it,” Virgil said, his pale face colouring with red. “Uh, anyway. How long have you and the others known each other? You all seem pretty close.”  
“Oh, Remy and Roman have known each other since they were children, and so have Patton and Damian - obviously. We all met in middle school after I befriended Patton and Damian,” Logan replied. Virgil nodded to show he was listening.  
“Damian mentioned Remy flirted with you when you all met?” Logan laughed.  
“That's a story for another day, Virgil.”  
“I look forward to that day.” Again, Logan laughed. 

Minutes turned to hours as the call went on, both Logan and Virgil talking casually about a wide range of different topics. From family to past relationships to literally anything else. They rarely took breaks from the call, except when Logan was called for lunch or if either person needed to use the bathroom.

“So, you said you have no siblings?” Logan asked.  
“Does my cat count?” Virgil asked, making Logan laugh yet again. He was doing that a lot more lately.  
“What's your cat’s name? What kind of cat are they?”  
“Aurelian. Mum named her,” Virgil answered. “She's a black cat.”  
“She’s got a nice name.”  
“Thanks, I'll tell Mum you said so,” Virgil said. “Do you have any pets? Or have you ever had any?”  
“Sadly, no. My mother is allergic to cats and Father has never liked animals. Lauren loves them though, and always wanted a bunny,” Logan said. He'd also wanted a pet as a child, a dog, specifically, but his father saw no point in having one so they never adopted a puppy.  
“That's a shame. Aurelian is a better friend than some people I've met before.”  
“I can't imagine that,” Logan said.  
“She stopped me from being alone a lot as a child.”  
“I was always surrounded by people growing up, whether it be Lauren or children of my parents’ co-workers, so I guess that's why I don't understand.”  
“Maybe…” Virgil mumbled.

Their conversation continued and spiraled into other topics again when Logan realized something. Virgil had barely left during the call, even to get food or something to drink.

“Have you had lunch yet, Virgil?” Logan asked. Virgil seemed rather surprised by this question.  
“Uhm… not yet…”  
“Virgil, it's almost 2 PM.”  
“I know…”  
“It's not good to skip meals.”  
“I said I know,” Virgil repeated, his tone laced with frustration.  
“I’m only saying it because I care.”  
“Yeah, of course you are,” Virgil said, obviously being sarcastic. “I'm just gonna go now.”  
“Virgil-”  
“Bye, Logan.”  
With that, the call ended.

For a moment, Logan just stared at his phone, wondering what the hell just happened. They'd been fine just a few minutes ago, so what about what Logan had said made Virgil do a complete 180 turn on his mood?

Logan typed out a quick message to Virgil so he'd see it when he got back. 

L.Phillips:  
Virgil, I'm sorry if I offended you. I just care about you  
1:58 PM

Then, Logan put his phone down and resumed TAZ, trying to focus on something other than Virgil. It was easier said than done.

~~~~~~

Logan hadn't checked his phone until he suddenly got a flood of messages from the group chat. He read what he'd missed and agreed to join Patton and Damian for the evening, since he had nothing better to do.

As he exited the group chat, he decided to check if Virgil had replied to his message earlier. He hadn't, but it made him aware Virgil had seen the message. He felt a pang of… guilt or something of the sort in his chest. Whatever it was, Logan didn't like it.

He waited for a while, checking his phone every five minutes as to not miss a message from Virgil. Before he knew it, the time he’d organised with Damian and Patton was rapidly approaching. It wasn’t like Logan to lose track of time so quickly. He got up and grabbed a clean jacket from his closet. He tucked his phone into his pockets, along with a 5 dollar note he just had lying on his bedside table. Then, he left his house.

Their meeting spot was within a reasonable walking distance. The original plan was to catch a movie, but since no one could really be bothered driving, they decided going out for ice cream was a better pass time. Logan didn’t really care either way, deciding that this would be a good excuse to get out for fresh air.

It was rather dark, despite only being the evening. They didn’t plan to be out for too long anyway - going to get ice cream and talking in the park weren’t exactly the most time consuming of activities, so it probably didn’t matter. Through the dark, Logan spotted the Foster brothers. Both Damian’s “Liar liar” hoodie and Patton’s pastel cloud sweater were now covered with their own coats. Both spotted Logan. Damian gave a half smirk to acknowledge Logan’s presence, and Patton energetically waved Logan over.

“Hey, Lo, you’re here,” Patton said, smiling. They all exchanged pleasantries between each other.  
“Good evening.”  
“”Good evening”” Damian mocked. Logan frowned at him. “Do we not have ice cream waiting?”  
“Yeah! C’mon, let’s hecking go,” Patton said. Logan stifled a laugh.  
“Did you just use “hecking” in a casual conversation?”  
“He’s been doing this constantly, Logan. I’m suffering in my own home,” Damian said, pretending to beg Logan to help him.  
“Then perish,” Logan said, leaning to whisper to Damian.  
“Let me perish after having some quality ice cream. Let’s leave already.”

~~~~~~

Damian had been the one to chose the ice cream place, and Logan had been pleasantly surprised by his choice. Others may say assuming Damian would have bad taste in everything was Logan being a bad friend, but considering Damian unironically liked Nickelback at one point, could you really blame him?

The shop was small, with a limited colour scheme and had a smell made up of multiple kinds. Probably from the large selection of ice cream flavours behind the slightly tinted glass, all of said flavours very unique and something Logan had never seen in his life. One that caught his eye was “raspberry, coconut and white chocolate”, which was one of the more normal flavours he saw there. 

“Ooh, these all look so great!” Patton exclaimed a little too loudly. Damian joined by his younger brother’s side, his hands in the pockets of his jacket.  
“Can’t disagree there,” Damian mused. Logan simply nodded his agreement. He checked his phone quickly. Still no message from Virgil.  
“What will you three be ordering this evening?” Asked the woman behind the counter. Patton ordered the raspberry and white chocolate flavour that caught Logan’s eye initially, as well as a strawberry cheesecake flavour. Damian got “coffee and cream” as well as double chocolate. Logan got the raspberry flavour as well as vanilla with coconut. They payed for the ice cream and left for the park.

The park was empty, naturally, since it was a dark evening that caused the area to be coated in night. The park itself wasn’t very exciting, with only the basic things you saw, plus a large field with picnic tables and benches lining the path. Rock walls, slides of various windy-ness and swings - that kind of thing. A large tree grew in the center of the whole area, shading a large part of the park.

The air was still cold despite the layers Logan wore to combat the dropping temperatures. He had to eat the ice cream in his waffle cone slowly at to not get a brain freeze. Him and Patton didn’t share the same thoughts, as Patton had already gotten two brain freezes in the span of 15 minutes, and almost got a third just before. Damian was more caught up in being chaotic evil and taking actual bites out of his ice cream.

The conversation between licks (or bites, in Damian’s case) was casual. Normal, nothing you’d really care to recall a day later. Patton excitedly told the others about a new puppy at the shelter he volunteered for, and how it refused to let Patton go anywhere without following him. Damian had laughed and said the puppy acted like a child, and Logan couldn’t help but agree.

“I wonder if we could convince Mum and Dad to let us adopt him,” Patton said, looking hopefully at his older brother.  
“If you want to try, go for it, but you’ll be the one to take care of him.” Patton smiled, insisting that he would. Silence settled between them as they took to their ice creams. Damian glanced around the park, then to Logan, as if he wanted to say or ask something but didn’t know how. He took in a sharp breath and let it out just as quickly.

“Logan, can I ask you something?” He asked. Patton wandered over to where the actually playground part of the park was.  
“Go ahead.”  
“This had been bothering me for a while.” Patton returned as Damian started talking again. That was quick. “What's Virgil’s last name?” Damian asked.  
“Morgan. Why?”  
“Hmm. Yeah, I thought he looked familiar,” Damian mumbled. He didn't care to elaborate on that.  
“Logan Morgan… doesn't really have that ring to it. Virgil Phillips, on the other hand…” Patton winked at Logan.  
“No, stop.”  
“What do you think, Damian?”  
“Hm? Oh, yeah, whatever.”  
“Are you even listening?” Patton asked. Damian didn’t answer, which, funny enough, basically answered Patton’s question.  
“What do you mean he looked familiar?” Logan asked.  
“I’ve just met him before but I wasn’t sure if it was him or not,” Damian said.  
“Wait, really?! How did I not know?” Patton asked.  
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it,” Damian said. He was definitely hiding more. “Can we talk about this another time?”  
“Sure, but you’re going to tell us eventually,” Logan said. More of a statement than a question.

They didn’t mention it again, but it didn’t leave Logan’s mind. Damian’s aversion to talking about it had been what Logan found odd. Damian was never the most open person, but Patton knew almost everything about him, so the short freckled boy not knowing was, again, odd. Still, he didn’t bring it up again during their conversation. He’d ask Damian later, maybe when they were alone.

They finished their ice creams and all went home. Logan checked his phone one last time as he went inside. No message from Virgil. Logan sighed and went to his room and waited for time to pass.

~~~~~~

It was late. Logan was going to go to sleep over two hours ago, but had been lying in bed, still wide awake. He didn’t even know why he was having so much trouble going to sleep. He didn’t need to know why, all he knew was that it was happening and he did not like it.

He truly snapped to attention when he got a text message. Only one person would be awake this late and texting him. He reached for his phone and immediately opened it.

Virgil:  
Hey, Lo… I’m sorry for freaking out earlier. I know you were only trying to help me. It’s just, I get told a lot how I have really unhealthy habits by Mum and Dr Picani, so when my friends bring them up, I usually get upset very quickly. I shouldn’t have taken that out on you. I was more angry at myself, if anything  
1:06 AM

Virgil:  
You’re probably not awake but I just really wanted to say im sorru  
1:06 AM

Logan:  
It’s alright, Virgil. I understand  
1:07 AM

Virgil:  
Oh shit ur awake  
1:07 AM

Logan:  
I’m about to go to sleep. Or try to  
1:08 AM

Virgil:  
Oh k, I’ll let u go sleep then lol  
1:08 AM

Virgil:  
Good night  
1:09 AM

Logan:  
Actually it’s morning  
1:09 AM

Virgil:  
Oh stfu  
1:10 AM

Logan was about to actually get some sleep when he got another message, this time through Instagram. It was a DM. From Damian. When you got a private message from Damian, it meant one of two things. You were either:  
1) Fucked, or  
2) In trouble, or sometimes even  
3) All of the above.  
Logan wasn't sure which he was even after he had read Damian’s message.

Deception_Foster:  
I'm going to ask this bluntly. Do u have feelings for Virgil? I swear on my miserable life, I won't tell Remy.  
1:13 AM

L.Phillips:  
I do not. I’ve only known him for a few days, so it would be illogical for me to have romantic feelings for Virgil  
1:14 AM

Deception_Foster:  
You sure? You aren’t exactly known for being an expert on feelings  
1:14 AM

L.Phillips:  
I think I’d know  
1:15 AM

Deception_Foster:  
K  
1:15 AM

Deception_Foster:  
Now go to sleep you hypocrite you can’t stress a healthy sleep schedule to us and then be up at 1 am  
1:16 AM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Logan is harbouring a fugitive


	6. boi goes to movies with frens, panics an amount

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet the Virgil Protection Squad and they go to movies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY FOR THE RANDOM MINI HIATUS SO HAVE A REALLY LONG CHAPTER AS COMPENSATION

Surprisingly, Virgil fell asleep quite quickly after apologizing to Logan. That didn't stop him from feeling like trash though. At least he'd gotten up to eat after he'd left the call, but he knew he shouldn't have snapped at Logan. He'd regretted it immediately.

He woke up feeling like shit. For a solid 10 minutes, he lied there, trying to convince himself to pull himself out his bed. It was Sunday, so he probably could lay there all day. That is, if if he didn’t have to function. He already got into an argument with someone about not eating. He didn’t need that again.

Eventually, he rolled out of his bed and got something to eat. By something to eat, he meant a bowl of cereal. He did know how to cook pretty well since he was taught from a young age, but he hardly ever had the motivation to make anything that took more than 3 steps. Unfortunately, his Mum felt a similar way, so rarely did they ever have anything special.

He sunk back into his cocoon of blankets and barely moved with his cereal bowl in front of him. He finished the bowl and couldn’t bring himself to leave his comfortable bed, so he instead put his bowl on the floor next to his bed. His friends, namely Dani, used to tease him about the stacks of dishes that would sometimes pile up in his room, dubbing him the king of hoarded dishes, but stopped when they realised exactly why he did it. Although he was thankful she didn’t make fun of him anymore, sometimes he wished they could all still joke about his bad habits. But they didn’t. Not anymore.

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Yo, Estelle, Virge, either of u down for movies  
10:01 AM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
No Dani I see u typing ur the worst in theaters  
10:01 AM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
D:  
10:01 AM

The.Frenchiest.Fry:  
I could join u Brooke  
10:02 AM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Yay  
10:02 AM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
D:  
10:02 AM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
No.  
10:02 AM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Virgillllll. Come in here and convince Brooklyn to let me join her an Estelle for the movies  
10:03 AM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
I don’t know what’s going on but I’m on Brooklyn’s side  
10:03 AM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
D:  
10:03 AM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Perish.png  
10:03 AM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
You wanna come, Virge?  
10:04 AM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Sure ig what time?  
10:04 AM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
D:  
10:04 AM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
No fair. Do the years of friendship mean nothing to you, Brooklyn Miles?? DoEs iT?!?  
10:05 AM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
How many years have we been friends, Danielle?  
10:05 AM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Also don’t use my full name  
10:05 AM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
Uhhhh more than 2?  
10:06 AM

The.Frenchiest.Fry:  
Thats just sad, mon amie. Also I’m free around 5 so if we can do the movie then i’d be v thankful  
10:06 AM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
13\. The answer was 13  
10:06 AM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
I mean… 13 *is* more than 2  
10:07 AM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Also I’m free 5 pm  
10:07 AM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
5 it is. Also that means we’re obligated to get ice cream and dinner afterwards  
10:07 AM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Ya  
10:07 AM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
I’ve got nothing on at 5, can I join too?? Pls, Brooke???? Bro? B?  
10:08 AM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
Fine, as long as you pay for your own snacks as well as ur ticket. Also n e v e r call me anything other than Brooke and Brooklyn again  
10:08 AM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
What about friend(o)?  
10:08 AM

The.Frenchiest.Fry:  
Awwww  
10:08 AM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Awh  
10:08 AM

Hey.Its.Brooklyn:  
yOu HaVe nO fRiEnDs!!1!!!1!  
10:09 AM

Creative_Username.Yeet:  
D:  
10:09 AM

VirgeOfDeathTBH:  
Oof  
10:09 AM

The.Frenchiest.Fry:  
Oof seconded  
10:09 AM

Virgil flopped back on his bed. He had plans for later then. He wasn’t sure how long he lay there before retreating to YouTube. The hours passed without anything special happening. Every so often he would look for texts or DMs from Logan and the others, but the only messages were from Dani, Brooke and Estelle. He wasn’t sure how to feel about how disappointed he really was.

~~~~~~

The evening was cold, and every gust of wind sent Virgil shivering, even in his thick sweater and beanie. Leaves crunched under his black converse as he walked. Puddles had formed on the path and a combination of leaves, mud and water littered the drains and gutters. Looks like they were just lucky enough to miss the rain.

There were quite a few people gathered outside the movie theater, most of which were around Virgil’s age or maybe a few years older. Virgil spotted a few couples, as well as a few people who were leaning against the building and smoking. He assumed the later wasn’t actually there to see a movie.

Virgil scanned the area, looking for Dani, specifically. Out of the three girls, Dani’s hair was the easiest to spot in a crowd. The next easiest to identify was Brooke, because she was rather tall, or at least taller than Dani and Estelle.

Virgil was sent stumbling when one of two children, one boy and one girl, nearly bumped into him. He was able to step away fast enough to avoid colliding with either one, or the father that scolded them for not looking where they were going, making Virgil nearly slip on a puddle in the process. Virgil knew his face was probably flushed from embarrassment.

He wished he was wearing a hoodie instead of his sweater as he tugged on his beanie, going back to looking for his friends. Thankfully, he spotted Dani’s light auburn hair and hurried towards her, keeping his head low and hoping for the sake of not dying from mortification that it was actually her. It was, thankfully.

“Hey, the edgelord is here,” said the freckled personification of the word extra. Dani’s hair moved with her as she turned and waved to Virgil. Her auburn hair was wavy and usually messy, and even though it wasn’t particularly long, you could tell it had never been cut due to the frayed edges. The highlights she’d bragged about getting a few weeks prior were almost completely washed out now, also.

“Hey, Virgil. Glad you could occupy the last ticket I’m willing to pay for,” Brooke said, side-eyeing Dani, who laughed. Brooke flicked her dark, straight hair back over her shoulder. Her hair was long and silky, tied back in a ponytail, and her centrally heterochromatic blue eyes were like a bright afternoon sky.  
“In all seriousness, it would be infair to Dan to invite both me and Virgil and leave her out,” Estelle said, her french accent thick and grammar flawed. She, much like Dani, gestured a lot while talking (not to the same extent as Danielle “Extra” Reid, but the comparison was there). Her thick strawberry blonde hair was mostly straight with really curly tips and it often tumbled over her shoulders.  
“First, unfair, and second, it’s not unfair if I run out of money,” Brooke said.  
“Brooke, your dad is a doctor and your mum’s a pharmacist. Both of which are very willing to lend you money all the time,” Dani pointed out.  
“You have a point.”  
“Guys,” Dani said, finally getting someone to pay attention to her, something Dani herself said she would die if she had a shortage of. “Can we go inside soon? We’ve been waiting for a while and this clickbait hoodie isn’t going to keep me warm forever.”  
Brooke rolled her eyes, but said “fine”, probably because she was feeling the same about her twenty one pilots sweater and grey plaid scarf. Estelle agreed, shivering inside her olive jacket as if on cue.

~~~~~~

They stepped inside the theater, embracing the warmth that welcomed them and breathing in the smell of butter and spilled coke (the fizzy drink, not the other kind). Dani, being the person she was, did a twirl as she entered, treating the public location like her own home. Virgil wondered how it felt to be so carefree.

The theater was decorated with different shades of red and accents of gold and white. The colour scheme somewhat reminded him of Roman, in a way. Movie posters for the movies they were showing lined the walls, each one framed with gold. Brooke grabbed Virgil’s wrist as they made their way through the initial crowd, as if sensing the anxiety that was building inside the purple haired boy.

They approached the counter to buy their tickets, Virgil, Brooke and Estelle in a group with Dani in front of them so she could pay for her own ticket. They decided on a movie together (City of Embers), also deciding on what overpriced snacks to get. They agreed on a medium bag of popcorn to share between two, as well as a drink each (mostly coke, except diet for Estelle since she didn’t like the sugary taste of regular, and Dani, who’s fanta addiction was really getting out of hand).  
“Dani has to pay half the price for one of the bags,” Brooke said after they decided on sharing.  
“Brooklyn, you have $1,000 stashed in your pillowcase. Fuck off with that shit.”  
“We made a deal that you have to pay for your own snacks.”  
“The children in this room fight less than you two,” Estelle muttered, shaking her head. Virgil laughed, but agreed.  
“So, who’s going to pay?” Virgil asked. He knew they wouldn’t make him do it.  
“Me and Brooke,” Dani said, answering surprisingly quick.  
“Why me?” Brooke asked.  
“Because Virgil has anxiety and some people can’t even understand Estelle because of her grammarlessness and her accent.”  
“Va te faire foutre, Daniélle,” Estelle said, slapping Dani lightly on the arm.  
“I don’t know what you said but it was probably bad so--” she doubled flipped off Estelle.  
“There are children around here, Dan,” Brooke said, sighing. Virgil laughed quietly, muttering a “why are you booing her, she’s right”, to which Dani the meme lord finger gunz-ed her response.

They finally paid for their snacks and went to there designated screening room. On the way in, Virgil thought he saw someone he recognized, but he was pulled into the darkness of the screening room by Dani before he would confirm.

They took their seats. Virgil sat on the edge of the group, with Estelle next to him and Brooke next to her. Dani nearly spilt her drink on Brooke on her way to her seat. 

“Danielle Reid, if you get orange stains on this goddamn sweater I will steal every single piece of tour merch you own,” Brooke hissed.  
“But then it won’t be fanta-stic,” Dani whispered back.  
“You little thot, I will spit in your shoes.” Dani fake gasped at the most tumblr threat Virgil had ever heard used in an everyday conversation.  
“Guys, be quiet before people threaten to duct tape our mouths,” Virgil whispered. They did so… temporarily.

The movie started after a few minutes. The theater went dark, cueing the children screaming as if lights going out was the most terrifying thing on this earth. Virgil leaned back in his chair and tried to focus on the movie despite Dani constantly talking. Judging by the whisper of “das gay” every so often, Brooke and Dani were constantly reaching for the same piece of popcorn. They were lucky that there wasn’t many people in this particular room, otherwise they’d probably have been thrown out by now.

They were halfway through the movie when Virgil’s eyes traveled to the rows of seats in front of him. He stopped dead when his eyes stopped on a group of three people. In that very moment, he swore that he saw Remy, Roman and Logan there.

“Mon ami? Are you alright?” Estelle asked, sensing Virgil’s sudden tension. Virgil darted his attention away from his friends back to the movie screen.  
“Uh- Yeah, no, I’m fine,” Virgil said, tripping over his words. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Remy whisper something to Logan. Virgil tried to ignore it, keeping his attention focused on the movie screen.  
“Are you sure?” Estelle asked again, quieter this time.  
“I’m fine, let’s just try focus on the movie.”  
Estelle didn’t look convinced, but she did so anyway. Virgil tried as hard as he could to focus on the movie properly again, but his mind kept drifting back to Logan and Remy and Roman. Was that why he thought he recognized someone back in the lobby. He glanced at Remy, Roman and Logan. At the wrong time, apparently, because his eyes immediately locked with Logan’s.

Fuckfuckfuckfuck.

Virgil immediately averted his eyes. His face felt hot.  
“Virge? You okay, dude?” It was Dani who asked this time.  
“I- I’m fine, I swear,” Virgil said, silently hoping that Logan hadn’t recognized him. Hopefully it was too dark for him to make him out. He wished he could slump away into his oversized sweater and never come out.

The movie ended without further questioning or Virgil dying from embarrassment. The lights went up as the credits rolled. Virgil pulled down on his beanie and forced himself to not look at where Remy, Roman and Logan were standing. They left the screening room and got out to the lobby without any hassle. Every so often, Virgil stole glanced towards the screening room door they’d just come out of. He didn’t see Roman, Remy or Logan exit for a while.

They left the theater without Virgil seeing any of his other friends. The cold wind practically slapped Virgil in the face. He’d almost forgot how cold it really was outside, and it had only gotten colder in the 1 hour and a half they’d been inside.  
“Let’s get some food, I’m hungry,” Dani complained.  
“Go to the car. Use my keys to unlock it,” Brooke said, throwing said keys at Dani. Dani fumbled with them, but perhaps her few years of being a catcher in baseball was still useful even after she swapped to netball.  
“While you do that, I’m going to throw away the empty popcorn bags,” Virgil said, taking the buckets from Estelle and Dani, before leaving to the bin next to the entrance. He took a deep breath of air, taking in the smell of shitty buttered popcorn and smoke, apparently. Good to know theaters were a prime target for stoners.

Virgil started walking back to the car to catch up when he stopped.  
“Virgil?” Asked a familiar voice from behind Virgil. Shit. Virgil turned around and, sure enough, Logan was there.  
“Oh- Hi- Hey, Logan. Wassup?” Virgil said. He was a pair of finger guns away from giving the most awkward greeting he had ever done.  
“Lo, you comin…” It was Remy. He trailed off as he realised why Logan had stopped. “Nevermind. We’ll wait for you in the car.” With that, the black haired boy disappeared with Roman.  
“Yeah, I’ll catch up with you guys,” Logan called after his friends before turning back to Virgil. He did that kind of… half smile that was as little indication to how he felt that he’d show. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”  
“Uh, same to you,” Virgil said. “My, uh, friend, from the VPS, had some spare money for a ticket so she offered to pay and… well, who would turn down something free, amiright?”  
“That’s understandable,” Logan said, shifting on his feet and adjusting his glasses. Virgil dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans in order to prevent or at least hide his fidgeting. “Which movie did you see?” Fuck. Am I supposed to lie to him?  
“Oh- uhm… City--”  
“Virgil? What’s the hol’ up?” It was Dani who saved him from any further embarrassment. He made a mental note to thank her later.  
“I think your friend wants you,” Logan said. Thanks, captain obvious.  
“Yeah… I- I should probably go catch up with them now.”  
“Yeah. Same with me. See you at school,” Logan said. For a moment, Virgil thought he saw disappointment flicker in Logan’s eyes.  
“See you on Monday. Or, tomorrow, I guess… I’ll see you at school,” Virgil said. Logan waved and then left to catch up with his friends while Virgil suffered his own humiliation on his run to catch up with the others.

They didn’t say anything until they were standing by Brooke’s car, who was going to drive them all to dinner. Brooke threw off her scarf by her feet. Only when they were all sitting in the car (Virgil in the front with Brooke, and Dani and Estelle in the back) did Dani speak up.

“Who was that cutie you were talking to back there, Virge?” Dani asked, leaning forward and resting her face in her hand.  
“I must admit, I want to know, too,” Estelle said, leaning on the back of Brooke’s seat.  
“That’s… Logan Phillips. He’s a new friend of mine,” Virgil said. His face felt hot.  
“I didn’t know you had hot nerd friends,” Brooke said. Of course. Nerdy guys were her type. The comment still made Virgil’s face burn even more.  
“I didn’t know you had friends,” Dani said jokingly.  
“Just because he has glasses doesn’t mean he’s nerdy but… you wouldn’t be wrong,” Virgil said. “Before you ask, I’m not going to set you up.”  
“Why? Does someone already have dibs?” Dani asked, even though she didn’t care much for romance and was totally Asexual.  
“I don’t know.”  
“Is that someone you?”  
“No! No, I’ve only known him for a few days, geez,” Virgil said.  
“Guys, enough talk about Virgil’s friend and how about we choose where the fuck to eat?” Brooke said, starting the car and looking over her shoulder for traffic.  
“Burgers.”  
“Dammit, Daniélle,” Estelle murmured.  
“I’m down for burgers,” Virgil said. Brooke sighed.  
“I know a place,” She said, pulling out of the park when the coast was clear. “And also, this is why we don’t invite Dani places.”  
“Don’t be like that, Brooke,” Estelle said.  
“Thank you, Estelle.”  
“There are plenty more reasons why we don’t bring Dani anywhere.”  
“Oh fuck you, you french fucker.”  
“Uhm, please don’t.”  
“VIRGIL!” The girls all shouted at once. Virgil laughed.  
“T’es un salaud, Daniélle,” Estelle mumbled.  
“Yeet,” Dani whispered back.

~~~~~~

There were no silent moments in the car. Dani stole the aux cord and played her emo playlist, which everyone in the car enjoyed. The karaoke car ride to the restaurant was some of Virgil’s favourite moments of the night. Every so often Brooke would quietly ask whether or not she was allowed to turn down a road or not. Otherwise, the only words spoken were the ones that were lyrics.

They arrived at the restaurant. It was a rather nice restaurant despite the very fast food-like menu. They sat in a booth next to the long indoor garden that stretched through the center of the room. 

Brooke picked up a menu and handed it to Dani, as well as sliding one to Estelle. Virgil picked up one and opened it, choosing what he wanted and rehearsing his order in his head.  
“I already know what I’m getting,” Brooke said. “What about you guys?”  
“Salad burger, large fries, and a frozen coke,” Dani said.  
“I’ll probably get a deluxe cheeseburger, medium fries and a side salade,” Estelle said. “Oh, and a diet coke.”  
“Frozen?”  
“Just normal.”  
“And Virgil?” Brooke asked, looking at him.  
“Uhm…”  
A waitress came up to them before Virgil could answer and asked the group what they’d like to order. Brooke listed off her and Dani’s orders, and Estelle told the waitress her’s.  
“And anything for you, sir?” The waitress asked, looking at Virgil. Virgil swallowed.  
“I’m not really that hungry…” Before Virgil could say to just get him some water and a small fries, Brooke held a hand in front of him and spoke directly to the waitress.  
“He’ll have a deluxe cheeseburger with no meat, a medium fries, and a frozen coke zero please,” Brooke said.  
“Brooke--”  
“You need to eat, mon ami,” Estelle whispered as the waitress wrote that down.  
“Anything else?”  
“That es all, merci,” Estelle said.  
“For here or to go?”  
“To go, please,” Dani answered

The waitress walked away, leaving the group to themselves. Dani leaned back, resting her head on her arms and smirked.  
“Virge, if you seriously thought you’d go to dinner with Brooke and not eat anything, you are highly mistaken,” Dani said.  
“I’ll never escape the mum friend,” Virgil chuckled. They shared a laugh.

A short time passed and they gave them their meals in the takeaway boxes. They left the restaurant and were on the way to the ice cream place when Virgil’s phone vibrated from a text.

“Who’s texting you?” Dani asked from the back seat.  
Virgil turned his phone on and read out the name. “Logan.”

Logan:  
Good evening, Virgil. Did you enjoy your movie? Also, I never got to find out what movie you were watching  
7:11 PM

Virgil:  
Hey  
7:11 PM

Virgil:  
Ya the movie was pretty good We watched City of Ember what abt u?  
7:11 PM

Logan:  
Same, actually. Remy said he saw you but I couldn’t tell through the dark lol  
7:12 PM

Virgil:  
Coolio  
7:12 PM

Logan:  
Coolio??  
7:12 PM

Virgil:  
Ya lololol  
7:13 PM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm publishing this hoping Estelle's french isn't like... super broken.


	7. One day I'll post on time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman wants something from Logan's sister and Damian is a mess of a person.

Logan crossed his legs on his sister’s bed. Their parents were both working late so Lauren decided she was going to practice on her piano while they were out, and since Logan had nothing to do for the night, he decided to watch her play.

He knew Lauren was an exceptional piano player - he’d seen her play at school. Unfortunately, her confidence was incredibly low because of their parent’s discouragement. She had to buy her keyboard herself, and she didn’t even get to use it that often because their parents didn’t want her “wasting her time”. Logan knew she spent almost all her breaks in the music room at school, playing on the school piano. And all that practice really did pay off. Clearly, she wasn’t wasting her time.

Lauren’s hands hovered over the white and black keys as her eyes glided over the music sheet that was leaning on the stand. She mumbled something to herself, took a deep breath, then played one note. Then another. Then she smoothly transitioned into her song, only stopping to flip the page. Logan couldn’t help but be amazed by how rarely she took her eyes off the keys, how she didn’t have to look up to read the sheet music.

She whispered to herself as she played. Logan stayed quiet while he listened to his sister. After all, he was the only one in their immediate family that would listen to her. It’d been his father who had told Lauren not to share her music with her cousins. “It’s not what a Phillips does. What about that spelling bee you won, instead?” their father had said when Lauren was about to bring up her music at a family gathering. That made Logan wonder, what about when they, after college, were both graduated and had nothing academic to brag about?

Logan took a quick glance at his phone just as Lauren stopped playing suddenly. She frowned at her music sheets, playing the same note slightly different each time before continuing. Mistakes were natural, and maybe she never got the chance to notice them since she rarely got the chance to play her own songs. Due to her low self confidence, she seldom practiced her own songs at school, and practicing at home at all wasn’t really an option either.

She stopped, dropping one hand and leaving the other on the last key of her song. She closed her folder of songs.  
“That one isn’t done yet… that’s all I’ve got.” She brushed her hair back behind her shoulder as it fell out of place.  
“You’ve improved a lot since the last time I’ve heard you play,” Logan said, wanting to add something. Lauren took off her glasses to wipe them before putting them back on.  
“Thanks, I try.” She went silent with thought for a moment. “Oh, wait. We’re working on something new. I want you to hear this and see if it sounds alright.”  
“You know I know little about music.”  
“Just listen.”  
“I doubt I’ll be much help,” Logan said, but obliged, leaning against the cream coloured wall against Lauren’s bed, allowing himself to relax.

Logan’s sister twisted back to face her keyboard. She tapped a few keys before whispering “hold on.” Logan waited patiently for her to start. And when she did… although he probably shouldn’t have been so surprised by her talent at this point, he still marveled at her ability to create music. One day, he hoped to see Lauren and all her friends playing together.

It was a short piece, with an intro, a chorus and half of a first verse. Logan clapped when she finished. Lauren gave a small smile, and asked, “what do you think?”  
“Again, I know nothing about music or composition.”  
“Yeah, but did you like it?”  
“Yes.”  
Although it was the most basic answer Logan could’ve done, Lauren’s eyes still lit up. Logan wondered how she would react is Logan was actually good at giving compliments. She cleared her throat, and the light in her eyes dimmed, but was still very much alive.  
“It sounds better with us all together, I promise,” Lauren said.  
“I’m sure it does.”

Their conversation was interrupted when Logan’s phone vibrated. Virgil, most likely. He checked his phone, but it was his friends in the groupchat instead.

“It was nice to listen to your music, L. I’m going to go get something to drink,” Logan said, standing up. Lauren smiled as he left and closed the door behind him. He opened the group chat as he walked back to his room.

Deception_Foster:  
I’m gonna buy 2 cheesecakes and eat them all right now  
8:22 PM

SleepAllGay:  
Damian ily but no  
8:23 PM

Pattoncake22:  
We??? Still have some??? In the fridge???  
8:23 PM

Deception_Foster:  
Ya ik im nearly done  
8:24 PM

Pattoncake22:  
n O--  
8:24 PM

SleepAllGay:  
Kjfasgbakjfgbjk you disaster gay whyyyyy  
8:25 PM

L.Phillips:  
I came in at the wrong time  
8:25 PM

Deception_Foster:  
Oh lawd I can hear Patton coming  
8:26 PM

Deception_Foster:  
SCREEEEEEECHhjkjllll;’  
8:26 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
o he ded  
8:27 PM

L.Phillips:  
Yup  
8:27 PM

Pattoncake22:  
Guys I walk in and  
8:28 PM

Pattoncake22:  
DeeIsAMess.jpg  
8:28 PM

SleepAllGay:  
Dfsgjksdgha WHY THE BASKETBALL SHORTS DAMIAN ETHAN FOSTER  
8:29 PM

Deception_Foster:  
don’t judge me ive seen ur worst moments  
8:29 PM

SleepAllGay:  
I’LL JUDGE YOU ALL I WANT TYVM  
8:30 PM

Pattoncake22:  
ur not allowed to buy cheesecake until next weekend  
8:30 PM

Deception_Foster:  
D:  
8:31 PM

Deception_Foster:  
Fine I’ll just get someone else to buy me some  
8:31 PM

Deception_Foster:  
Heyyyy Logan  
8:31 PM

L.Phillips:  
no  
8:32 PM 

Deception_Foster:  
fuk  
8:32 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
Lololol rekt  
8:33 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
Oh ye Lo can I DM u abt something?  
8:34 PM

L.Phillips:  
Sure  
8:34 PM

~~~~~~

Private Chat with: romano @Prince._.Charming

 

Prince._.Charming:  
Sup nerd  
8:35 PM

L.Phillips:  
Greetings, Prep  
8:35 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
Rood  
8:36 PM

L.Phillips:  
So what u want?  
8:37 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
Lauren does band, right?  
8:37 PM

L.Phillips:  
Not the school 1, but yeah she plays with her friends  
8:38 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
Cool do u think she'd want to help the drama club with writing music for this screenplay we're making?  
8:39 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
Her and her friends I mean  
8:39 PM

L.Phillips:  
You'll have to ask her  
8:39 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
Plsss she's really good  
8:40 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
Can u ask her 4 me?  
8:40 PM

L.Phillips:  
No do it urself  
8:40 PM

Prince._.Charming:  
D:   
8:41 PM

~~~~~~

His friends were waiting for Logan outside the school when he arrived, excluding Damian, who was nowhere in sight.

Roman waved him over. “Over here, Microsoft Nerd.”

“Greetings, New Times Roman,” Logan said in reply, ignoring the little gasp from Patton.  
“Hey, Logan,” Virgil said, quietly.  
“Hey, Virgil.”  
Remy and Roman shared a quick glance and smirked.  
“Where's Damian?” Logan asked.  
“He said he wanted to get to his class on time so he went on ahead,” Patton said.  
“Your brother, Damian Foster, wanted to get to class early? Are you sure he's not being impersonated?” Remy asked. Logan rolled his eyes, but he was right. Damian was usually late to classes on purpose.  
“We can talk to Damian at lunch,” Roman said. “Logan, where's your sister?”  
“She practices with her friends in the music room during lunch. Find her then,” Logan said. “Remy, you can interrogate Damian on Roman’s behalf.”  
“Will do.”

The group kept talking, but Virgil was rather quiet, and Logan noticed. Their eyes met, and Logan raised an eyebrow. A silent question. Virgil half smiled. I’m fine. Logan returned the smile, kind of as a way of saying that’s good. Their own silent conversations continued while their friends talked until they split up to go to their separate classes. A dark skinned girl with coily black hair in space buns marched off with Virgil quickly after they’d finished saying bye.

~~~~~~

“Let’s go to the music room quickly.”  
“And you need me to go with you, why?”

Roman was waiting outside Logan’s class when he made to leave. Logan wasn’t quite sure how he’d gotten to his class so fast (he hadn’t been talking to his teacher for that long), but he knew if he asked, he’d get the same answer as always. “Gay powers”.

“Because you don’t have anywhere better to be. C’mon,” Roman said, gesturing for Logan to come with him.  
“How can you be so certain, Fallen Empire?” Logan asked jokingly, although he was already walking on their way to the music room.  
“Because you have no other friends,” Roman said. “And no, books don’t count.” Logan rolled his eyes.

They arrived at the music room - or suite, technically. The entire suite was soundproof, which was why Lauren took to practicing in there in the first place. Logan dug his hands into his pockets and gestured to the door with his head. Roman knocked on the door, and Logan felt everything go still.

A few minutes passed.  
“Go in,” Logan said.  
Roman opened the door. Inside was the navy blue, grey and black room, with the music teacher’s office in the corner, and the three white doors, each leading to a different part of the suite. Lauren was sitting at one of the back-to-back pianos, her folder of sheet music in front of her. She stood up, putting the lid of the piano down.

“Logan? Roman? Why are you here?” She asked.  
“Roman wanted to ask you something and was too much of a little bitch to come on his own so he dragged me with,” Logan said, earning a light slap on the arm from Roman. “Where’s the rest of your group?” He asked, since Roman was probably wondering the same.  
“Nadia is still doing work, Rhiannon is on her way and Hannah is probably somewhere on Earth. I’m practicing on my own for now,” She replied, sitting back down. “You needed something?” She asked, turning her attention onto Roman, who was now standing beside the piano. 

He leaned on it before speaking, nearly knocking over a cup of pencils in the process.  
“So,” He started, “I’m in the school drama club.” Lauren nodded, tapping on the lid of the piano. “And we’re writing a musical for later in the year. So, we need someone to handle the music. I’ve been told good things about your group by Logan--” Lauren whirled around to look at her brother, to which Logan did a “no” gesture with his hands while mouthing “no I didn’t”. “So would you like to help?”  
Lauren’s hand stayed on the piano. “I can’t,” she said eventually. “Can’t you get the school band to help? Isn’t that what you usually do?” Logan grimaced. Yeah, this wouldn’t go well.  
“You’re so good though. We’d love to have you.”  
“I’m not though…”  
“Yes, you are,” Logan mumbled from his spot by the door. “Roman, we should go. The others are waiting for us.”  
Roman ignored him, continuing to talk to Lauren. “I’ve heard you play before while getting stuff for teachers, and you’re amazing. We’ve got a pretty good idea of what we want and--”  
“I’ll… sorry for interrupting, but I’ll have to ask the others anyway. See, I, well, we aren’t really sure if we’re ready to play in front of a full audience yet,” Lauren explained, running her hand across the lid of the piano.  
“Compromise,” Logan said suddenly. Both Roman and Lauren turned to him. “Sis, What if you and your group wrote the music for Roman’s production and then you, Roman, can get the school band to play during the actual night.”  
“That’s not a bad idea,” Roman said. He turned to Lauren. “Are you alright with that?”  
“I’ll ask the others.”  
“Alright. Roman, let’s go,” Logan said. Roman dug his hands into his pockets, saying a quick “thanks” over his shoulder.  
Logan turned to his sister as she lifted the lid of the piano.  
“Thanks for dealing with him.” He gestured to the door. “I'm surprised he wasn't more stubborn.”  
“No problem. I should practice. Rhiannon will be here soon.”  
“See you after school then,” Logan said as he left the suite. They passed by Rhiannon on the way out.

“How are you such a diplomat, teach?” Roman asked when they were back in the confines of the main building.  
“It’s how I was raised, I guess,” Logan shrugged. “My parents wanted me to be competent.”  
“What are you implying?” Roman asked, narrowing his eyes at Logan, who smirked in response.  
“If you don’t know, then I am correct,” Logan replied. He was only joking. He wouldn’t defend Roman’s intelligence constantly against his parents otherwise. Roman rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips.  
“Let’s just get to lunch, smartass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was mostly just set up for the next chapter (which won't be out for a while since I'm trying to write some short one shots for this AU). I hope you don't mind.


	8. hi this isn't an update

this is just me saying, hi, in case you didn't notice, this fic is gonna be on hiatus for a bit.

I'm focusing on school and other writing projects atm but i do plan on coming back to this eventually (with better writing i hope)

Thanks for being patient with me

:)

-Kathryn


End file.
